Challenges associated with coronavirus disease (COVID-19)-related self-quarantine in Ghana: lessons for future self-quarantine interventions

TL;DR

This study explores the challenges faced by people in self-quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic in Ghana's Eastern Region, highlighting socio-economic, health, and psychological issues.

Contribution

The study identifies specific challenges of self-quarantine in a Ghanaian context to inform future pandemic preparedness and policy.

Findings

Participants faced socio-economic challenges like lack of access to goods, income loss, and poor housing.

Health issues included sedentary lifestyles, lack of PPE, and weight gain.

Psychological challenges such as loneliness, boredom, and anxiety were also reported.

Abstract

self-quarantine was one of the key public health interventions in halting the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Ghana. Despite its success, self-quarantine was bridled with challenges across the country, including in the Eastern Region. Consequently, it was pertinent to ascertain these challenges to inform future self-quarantine interventions in the region and the country. The study aimed to ascertain challenges faced by COVID-19 self-quarantined persons in the Eastern Region of Ghana to inform future policies on self-quarantine in the region and the country in general.

thirty-five (35) participants were interviewed in both Twi and English. Following the thematic content analysis approach, Atlas. ti software was used to analyse the data. Relevant quotes were extracted from the transcripts to back the various sub-themes in presenting the results.

three global themes emerged from the analyses: socio-economic challenges of self-quarantine (lack of access to essential goods and services, loss of income, and poor housing conditions), health-related challenges (sedentary lifestyle, non-supply of essential personal protective equipment such as face masks, development of oedema and weight gain), and psychological challenges (loneliness, boredom, and anxiety).

COVID-19-related challenges self-quarantined persons faced in the Eastern Region of Ghana were multifaceted, ranging from socio-economic, and health to psychological ones. Consequently, emergency preparedness for future pandemic control using self-quarantine as a tool should bring on board various stakeholders to ensure challenges identified in this study are holistically addressed and do not recur.